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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26528269">The Night Before Leaving</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeastExpected_Archivist/pseuds/LeastExpected_Archivist'>LeastExpected_Archivist</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Points of View, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2002-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2002-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 05:20:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>504</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26528269</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeastExpected_Archivist/pseuds/LeastExpected_Archivist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>by Tashina Sedai</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aragorn | Estel/Gandalf | Mithrandir</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Least Expected</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Night Before Leaving</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Note from Amy Fortuna, the archivist: this story was originally archived at <a href="http://fanlore.org/wiki/Least_Expected">Least Expected</a>, which has been offline since 2002. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on the <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/collections/leastexpected/profile">Least Expected collection profile</a>.</p><p>Disclaimer: I am not now, nor ever have been JRR Tolkien, for a start I'm not dead. The people and places within are his creations, any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.<br/>Feedback: My muse is starving. If you liked it tell me, if you didn't also tell me so as I can improve my style.<br/>Story Notes: Again it was going to be smut, but then I can't do smut so I didn't.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Tomorrow we leave here, perhaps for ever."</p><p>"I think that we'll be back sometime."</p><p>"But never as home, never again will this be my home again. I think that perhaps I'll be sad to leave it, despite the future that awaits me."</p><p>"We are all reluctant to leave one life for another, but the time comes when we all have to do just that."</p><p>"I leave a life of wandering to become tied to one place."</p><p>"The freedom of the road is exhilarating, but even I sometimes long for the comfort of a place that I can call home, even I who is destined to wander until the end of the age wishes sometimes to return to the place I call home."</p><p>"And where is that?"</p><p>"That I am not allowed to say."</p><p>"This is the last night that I will spend here as a free man, tomorrow I will leave on the long journey that should end with me being wed."</p><p>"To the woman you love."</p><p>"No, to the woman I desired as a younger man, and whom I respect, but I have never loved Arwen. There is only one person I know that I love."</p><p>"And who would that be?"</p><p>"You" Aragorn's voice was so soft as to be hardly heard. "I've loved you since I met you."</p><p>"But I'm old, far older than you."</p><p>"You have more years behind you yes, but you have more years ahead of you than I, for I am mortal, and I<br/>sense that you are not. But were you as old as the Valar," Gandalf smiled at that "I would still love you. Tomorrow we leave on a journey that will change both our lives forever, for better or worse, life will never be the same again."</p><p>"If we win, the power of the Rings will fail, and the elves will leave, if we lose..."</p><p>"Terrible things, that we should not even contemplate."</p><p>"Tonight however..."</p><p>"Is ours, if you wish it."</p><p>"And I do wish it my young wanderer."</p><p>"Perhaps so no more, but tonight then is ours."</p><p>Aragorn rose from where he sat by the fire and walked over to the window where Gandalf stood, looking out at Rivendell, he ran his hands through Gandalf's hair and bent slightly to kiss him softly.</p><p>The sun shone through the window onto the two men lying curled around each other on the bed and woke them.</p><p>"The day comes, all too soon."</p><p>"That is as maybe, but still we must rise, or the others will come to look for us."</p><p>"And that would not be good."</p><p>"No, it would not, we have an image to maintain my love."</p><p>"My heart will always be yours, even when I am wed."</p><p>"You should not do that to Arwen, make her give up eternal life for a man who does not even love her."</p><p>"But she loves me, and I could not bear to break her heart. I will be good to her I promise."</p><p>"Your word is binding."</p>
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